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Discover how Foundation for Puerto Rico’s Community Innovation Hub is transforming rural
communities through strategic problem-solving to growing the visitor economy.
At Foundation for Puerto Rico, we believe that innovation holds the power to solve even the most complex challenges. For over five years, FPR has been actively working in the eastern region of the archipelago through projects like the Bottom Up Destination Recovery Initiative, Destino 191, and WCRP. Our on-the-ground experience has given us deep insights into the challenges and opportunities within these rural communities. With the lessons learned from these initiatives, we are set to bridge crucial gaps and elevate the local visitor economy for long-term benefits for the region.
The USDA Rural Business Development Grant program is a step forward in turning insights into actionable solutions, aiming to create a resilient and innovative rural economy. Through this grant our organization is introducing the Community Innovation Hub for Sustainable Tourism (The Hub), designed to empower rural communities in the eastern region to overcome economic growth barriers and thrive.
We believe in the power of co-creation. We aim to enable rural communities to harness their potential for sustainable economic growth by fostering innovative and collaborative solutions tailored to their unique challenges.
The Hub will serve the rural municipalities of Canóvanas, Ceiba, Culebra, Fajardo, Humacao, Juncos, Las Piedras,
Loíza, Luquillo, Maunabo, Naguabo, Río Grande, San Lorenzo, Yabucoa, and Vieques.
CHALLENGES ADDRESSED
The Community Innovation Hub is a transformative initiative designed to address ten critical challenges that Foundation for Puerto Rico (FPR) has identified through years of fieldwork in the eastern region and validated through outreach and engagement with local communities and stakeholders. These challenges, ranging from inadequate asset management and gaps in human capital to barriers in business operations and waste
management, represent significant obstacles to economic growth and resilience in rural communities.
By engaging local stakeholders, community members, and subject matter experts, the Hub fosters a collaborative process to co-create innovative solutions tailored to these issues. Through workshops, consultations, and active dialogue, FPR ensures that the solutions not only reflect community needs but also pave the way for sustainable development and a thriving visitor economy.
As a result, FPR aims to produce 10 high-impact conceptual solutions targeting the key challenges. Also, the program pretends to refer 50% of the developed solutions for funding, public policy change, product or service development, or other essential next steps.
IDENTIFIED CHALLENGES
